Joe Morgan goes 6-for-6 at the plate
Joe Morgan’s words during his 1990 Hall of Fame induction ring charmingly ironic for a man responsible for one of Houston’s most historic days at the plate.
“For me, the game has never been about numbers,” Morgan said on Aug. 6, 1990, in Cooperstown. “It’s only been about winning.”
Morgan’s first full big league season in 1965 for the Houston Astros, deemed runner-up behind the Dodgers’ Jim Lefebvre by National League Rookie of the Year voters, foreshadowed his storied major league career. Batting .271 and leading Major League Baseball with 97 walks, the 21-year-old had a knack for getting on base; as Houston’s starting second baseman, his .969 fielding percentage also established him as a defensive force.
But a summer afternoon in Milwaukee quickly cemented his place in the record books.
In the Astros’ July 8, 1965, game against the Milwaukee Braves, Morgan made his way to the plate six times. Getting a hit in an MLB game is one of the most difficult feats in sports; Morgan managed to collect six across 12 innings of play.
The second baseman got to work early with a leadoff home run against Braves ace Tony Cloninger. The Astros quickly added some padding to their lead with a pair of RBI singles from Jim Gentile and Jim Wynn. While future Hall of Famer Hank Aaron got the Braves a run back with a solo shot in the bottom of the first, Morgan wasted no time in collecting another hit during his next at-bat.
And then during his following at-bat. And the one after that.
By the end of the ninth inning, Morgan tallied five hits, including two home runs, three RBI and four runs scored. A three-run ninth inning by the Braves, which tied the game at 8, gave Morgan at least one more inning to continue his offensive clinic.
All it took was one more hit, a single in the top of the 11th, for Morgan to establish the Houston record for most hits in a game by a single player. This achievement tied a then-Modern Era National League record for hits in a game.
For the fans, this game promised Morgan inclusion in the annals of baseball history. For Morgan, it meant a bitter, hard-fought 9-8 loss in 12 innings.
“I thought we had it won,” Morgan told the Associated Press. “I’m glad I got the six hits but losing takes a lot out of it.”
On the evening of one of his and Houston’s finest offensive showings, Morgan’s win-first mentality prevailed.
“I was one of the guys that did all they could to win,” he told reporters during his election year. “I’m proud of my stats, but I don’t think I ever (augmented them) for Joe Morgan. If I stole a base, it was to help us win a game, and I like to think that’s what made me special.”
Abbey Dempsey is the 2026 communications intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Leadership Development
